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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. march — music
  3. swing — in golf
  4. spell — a short time
  5. spell — magic
  6. cap — a lid
  7. cap — of ice
  8. swing — music
  9. pass — a permit
  10. can — a tin
  11. can — a tin
  12. can — to be able to
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. clip — for paper
  15. march — the month
  16. cap — a hat
  17. clip — to cut
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. swing — to play on
  20. season — of the year
  21. march — the month
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. clip — a video
  24. season — in sport

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com